The chaos of yesterday’s broadcast ended, and I woke up to find the aftermath the next day.
As I barely pulled myself out of bed, my fuzzy memories from yesterday resurfaced, making my head throb painfully.
It all started when my older sister Seo-ha revealed her face on the cam, announcing that she was ‘CosmoAbsoluteProtection,’ my broadcast’s chairman. The fallout from that moment was truly enormous. In a sense, I felt more peril for my broadcasting career than when I had faced an audience suspension.
“Dating the youngest daughter of a chaebol family—it’s a plot twist straight out of a novel that would get me beaten up if I wrote it like this.” Yet, the unbelievable story spread like wildfire, and I even achieved the remarkable feat of hitting the top spot in live viewership temporarily.
Somehow, thanks to Seo-ha, I felt like I was experiencing every imaginable situation you could hardly have in a lifetime.
[Missed Calls: 32]
“Damn….”
Mindlessly picking up my phone to check the time, I was left speechless by the information flashing on my screen.
Thirty-two missed calls. Naturally, most were from my mother and Mr. Park Jae-seong.
Aside from those, there was one from my older sister and one from Exit… no, it was Mr. Park Gun-ho. My mom broke the record by calling a whopping 14 times. Should I sign her up for a service?
Thinking about conveying the news of Seo-ha to all those people already made my head spin, and I collapsed onto the sofa.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
What is this, déjà vu? Didn’t this happen yesterday too?
Just then, I felt a sense of déjà vu from the noise of the door lock being entered, and the door swung open with a beep. My older sister Seo-ha appeared, waving her hand cheerfully from across the hallway.
“Uju, are you awake?”
“Yes, sister.”
Responding to the warm greeting, I couldn’t shake the feeling of confusion.
Wasn’t she supposed to be returning to the company today? What was she doing here?
“I thought it’d be difficult to go to work today after what happened yesterday. I came to have breakfast together and chat.”
“…Sister, it seems you’ve become quite adept at reading my mind.”
“Hehe, it’s all written on your face!”
What does “written on my face” even mean? Do I have someone writing my thoughts on my forehead and cheeks with a marker? How does she see through me so clearly?
“Did you get any messages from acquaintances who watched yesterday’s broadcast?”
“Not really, I just have thirty-two missed calls.”
“Just as I thought. It must have been shocking.”
“My sister even got a call from Nayoung.” She waved her phone nonchalantly, showing me the call log.
While I felt dizzy from the madness of it all, strangely, the one who dropped that bomb cast a calm aura.
“I’m sorry for startling you yesterday. Were you angry?”
But before I could feel aggrieved, my sister sat beside me on the sofa, clutching my hand that rested on her thigh, her expression full of guilt.
It seemed she had showered, and as she moved closer, I caught a subtle scent of shampoo that made my head spin in a different way.
“No, it’s not that. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised, but I’m not angry.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d be furious about my reckless behavior.”
“There isn’t really a reason to be angry. It’s true that you and I decided to date, and it’s true you’re part of Changseong Group.”
Right, I wasn’t really angry. Just a little surprised, okay, very surprised.
Honestly, I never expected my sister to spill such huge information right then, nor did I think she would want to announce our relationship to everyone.
Then there’s the fact that she’s my broadcasting chairman, a secret I didn’t even know myself. Seriously, how can a girlfriend be the biggest supporter of her boyfriend’s broadcast?
“Speaking of, I’m only asking out of pure curiosity… why did you make that move without telling me?”
“Well, I did mention that day too. Despite my cute appearance, I’m a pretty possessive and troublesome woman.”
“Possessive…?”
Hmm… she definitely spoke those words, but I never thought they suited her. She always seemed the type to give anything away if someone wanted something.
“Yeah. Since after you turned on the cam, the number of female viewers increased dramatically, didn’t it? Also, I’ve received tons of requests for collaborations from female streamers.”
“That’s true.”
I hadn’t really thought about it, but since the viewer stats showed the gender ratio, I had noticed female viewers were increasing.
…Wait, hold on. Setting aside the first part, what did she mean by “collab requests”? I’ve had requests, but none from female streamers.
“But sister, have any female streamers ever asked me for a collab?”
Considering she used to manage my schedule not long ago, I figured she might know something I didn’t.
That moment, her eyes widened, her expression awkward as she hesitantly averted her gaze and spoke.
“Well, uh… actually, I rejected all the collab requests from female streamers.”
“…Huh?”
I was stunned, feeling as if I had been hit in the head with a blunt object by the surprising truth delivered with a shy face.
She rejected all collab requests? What on earth does this mean?
“Well, there were strange requests from people who wanted to dance in revealing clothes on their broadcasts and such…”
“Ah…”
Well, those requests definitely came from streamers whose concepts didn’t fit with mine. But why would she even offer me those? That’s pure curiosity.
“So, as I started pushing them away one by one, I began to imagine you laughing with a female streamer, and it started to boil inside me…”
“That… that makes sense.”
I’m not typically one to prefer collaborations, especially if it’s with a woman. It’s much more comfortable that my sister turned down those offers.
The reason, however, that it came from jealousy felt a bit surprising.
“I’m sorry. I should focus on my manager duties, but I was swayed by personal feelings… and it’s possible I rejected someone who could have helped grow your broadcast.”
“It’s okay. By the way, how many requests even came from female streamers?”
I became the one to soothe her, calming her raging worries gently.
“…Forty-one requests.”
“Huh? What did you say, sister?”
I didn’t quite hear her due to her low voice, so I leaned in and asked again. Her grip on my hand tightened, and her voice gradually grew louder.
“I said forty-one requests! Those were the collab proposals sent to you by those women…”
“Uhh… I see.”
It’s more than I figured. But then again, there’s no use blaming the past. My sister seems to be remorseful enough.
“Anyway, let’s not worry too much about that. Let’s just eat first. Breakfast. Since it’s been a while, I’ll prepare it.”
Recalling how much my sister seemed to enjoy the food I made, I decided to get up and make breakfast. I also wanted to lighten the somewhat heavy atmosphere.
“Isn’t it better to eat out? I don’t want to trouble you unnecessarily… that’s not why I came.”
“Ah, going out is more trouble. Plus, there’s a taste only home-cooked meals can provide.”
“That may be true but…”
“Hmm? Is there a problem?”
It wasn’t a big deal, but sensing a bit of cloudiness on my sister’s face, I stepped closer to ask her, and she avoided my gaze.
Then she quietly murmured.
“I… I’m actually not good at cooking. I wanted to help since it’s been a while, but I’m afraid I’ll just get in the way…”
“Ah, is that what it is? I was worried about nothing.”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her bland confession.
Isn’t it a bit unfair for someone like her to be bad at cooking? It’s like a flaw that the gods threw in to maintain balance.
But my sister didn’t seem to think that way, as she shyly lowered her head. After pondering for a moment, I suddenly had a good idea.
“How about this, sister? If you’re okay with it, why don’t you learn how to cook together?”
“Wha, what? Cooking?”
“Yes, it’s actually pretty fun! Of course, only if you’re willing.”
“Is that really okay? I’m really not that good….”
“Who is good at it from the start? I’m not that great either.”
“Really? Then maybe I can learn!”
“Of course! Come here.”
I gestured like calling a child, and to my surprise, my sister sprinted to the kitchen with a bright smile.
Flap.
With the only apron in the house, I walked behind her and tied it around her waist. Just then, a chuckle escaped her lips.
“Is something good happening? Why are you laughing so much?”
“Why, it just feels like we’re a newlywed couple. Actually, this has always been my dream.”
“Dream?”
“Yes, cooking together with you… and having this close physical contact?”
As she spoke, she leaned her weight back against me, causing me to chuckle again.
Here’s the youngest daughter of Changseong Group, harboring such a small but sweet dream. Somehow, it felt like a typical sister thing to do.
“Then don’t you have any wishes? Since it’s a dream, I’d like to accommodate your requests.”
“I do! Like standing behind each other with our bodies close and rolling up sleeves in a loving manner…!”
“Oh, that?”
She surely must have dreamed about it quite a lot, as her slight stomping of her feet while speaking displayed an endearing cuteness that made one believe she was younger.
But that’s a scene I’ve seen happen in foreign dramas a few times. Providing that isn’t hard.
Following her request, I stepped behind her at the cutting board and cautiously grabbed her sleeves that hung down to her wrists.
In that moment, I felt her body tense slightly from the sudden surprise. Thankfully, I wasn’t holding a knife, so there was no incident.
“Hehe…”
Seeing her beam with joy really made me feel oddly flustered. I wasn’t doing anything that impressive, after all.
Just as the sweet air filled the room reminiscent of yesterday’s morning.
♬~
“…Huh?”
The phone on the kitchen table chimed with a song, breaking the moment completely.
It wasn’t mine. It was my sister’s phone.
“Ah…! I’m sorry. I’ll just answer this call.”
“It’s fine.”
Honestly, I felt a bit disappointed, but I didn’t want to show it, so I let my sister go free from my embrace.
After picking up her phone, she glanced at the caller ID, looking momentarily surprised before carefully answering the call. I absentmindedly watched her when suddenly,
“Yes, Father. Yes, yes….”
“…?”
At that moment, one word that slipped out made time itself feel like it had stopped.
So for a while, she repeated just “yes, yes.” Then she glanced at me, walked over, and discreetly held out her phone.
Huh?
“Uh, Uju. I’m sorry, but could you pick up this call for a moment?”
“Pick up the call?”
Right as I began to wonder what on earth was going on, her earlier mention of a title resurfaced in my mind, along with all that transpired last night.
Wait a minute, could this be…?
“I’ll take the call.”
Not able to shake off that thought, I grabbed the phone, offering a greeting.
Then I heard a deep yet polite voice from the other side.
– Excuse me, is this Kang Woo-joo?
“Yes, yes… that’s me.”
With the dignified yet exceedingly polite tone, I nearly snapped back to reality, though the next words sent my consciousness drifting away to the far reaches of space.
– This is Seo-ha’s father. I watched your broadcast yesterday. I realize it might be impudent to contact you out of the blue, but I’d like to arrange a time to meet. What day works for you?
“…….”
That’s right. The caller was none other than my father-in-law, the chairman of Changseong Group.
With the chairman requesting a meeting suddenly, I felt like my mind had a complete wipe and fell into a prolonged silence.
It seems like my greatest life crisis is approaching.
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